Alex the Allegator 4 features stunning monochrome (2-color) graphics. Confused? Allow me to explain. While there have been quite a few game developers in the past who have attempted to bring back the old-school Gameboy feel to modern PCs, never has one succeeded in the same way that Free Lunch Design does with Alex 4. If you're still 'haunted' by fond memories of games like Mario Land and Balloon Kid, then this is the game for you.

Alex 4 is also one of those rare games that can literally 'be fun for the whole family', because it's not a very hard game to play --it's just a hard game to play well. At the start of the game you are given 3 lives, lose those 3 lives and the game is over. However, you can continue from where ever you 'died', with the only consequence being the loss of your score. I really enjoyed this continue system, as it makes it that much less of a pain to 100% every level, which is a darn hard thing to do, but you'll likely be playing fer hours and hours trying to complete this daunting task anyway. Alex 4 is just that much fun.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that it's made by the same guys who bestowed upon us all the blessed goodness of Icy Tower. And that's really all you need to know.

Hey, ever heard the one about the kidnapped girlfriend? Because that kidnapped girlfriend is Alex's girlfriend, Lola. The evil humans are planning to make a bag out of her! And you need to help Alex find her and save her.

The first thing people tend to notice about this game is the graphics. And no, not because of its wicked 3D effects and real-time videos. But because of the 4 colors. Yes, the game is only made from 4 colors! So if you're looking for fancy 3D graphic, you should probably stop reading here. It reminds me of my Game Boy days. You might believe that the lack of varsity in graphics is bad for the game, but I actually like it a lot. Everything that needs to get through gets through, so mission accomplished.

The music is pretty nice. It's not something that got stuck in my head for ages, and I don't know if that's a good or bad thing. But it's nice, simple, I like the feel of it, so I give it 4 carrots. It sort of reminds me of the old NES feeling, which is rad.

The gameplay. I love it. You collect fruits and bonus items and power-ups, pretty typical, but there's just something about it that I adore. I guess you will have to play the game to find out.

All in all, this is a great game. If you're looking for some hours of great fun in a laidback game, you should probably check this one out.

Alex the Allegator 4 is an addictive singleplayer platform game made by Free Lunch Design in 2003. It puts you in the role of Alex, the angry alligator. 'Why so angry?', you ask. Well, his girlfriend Lola has been kidnapped by humans and Alex fears that she could be turned into a pair of comfy shoes. You won't let that happen, now will you?

Your main goal is to make your way through the jungle in order to find Lola. On your path, you'll encounter enemies which you neutralize in old-fashioned Mario style by jumping on them (left ALT key) and preferably eating them afterwards. Another way is to spit previously collected eggs on them (left CTRL key) in case the space is too narrow for you to jump or the enemies are spiked on their backs. You can collect cherries and stars, too, and if you collect all of them in one level, you'll get 100%. That's not easy, though; and on higher levels, cherries and stars will be harder to reach. In that case you'll have to use some tricks to get to them, such as walking over fans which makes you roll in one direction, thus breaking any obstacles and getting rid of any foes in your way. I'll tell you a secret... if you get 100% in every level, you're in for a BIG surprise... but I won't give you details in order not to spoil all the fun, but believe me, it's worth it!

A great thing that is implemented in this game is that your progress is automatically saved, so when you lose all your lives, you can start over from the level of your choice (of course, up to the level you've last visited). This is very useful because you'll often find yourself frustrated when you drown or get smashed by spiked devices. There are 12 levels in total, of which 6th and the last one are boss levels, and believe me, bosses are well made and challenging to beat (especially the one on the 12th level).

It's obvious from the title that we're dealing with the fourth game in the series of the same name. Considering that, it's important to say that this game is graphically far less attractive than its predecessors, featuring a low resolution and only 4 colors. The point is that its graphics have a sole purpose of revitalizing the old Gameboy feeling, which some will like very much, but others will find disgusting. Regarding appearance, note that the game runs in windowed mode. Sounds are also retro-orientated, very similar to some old classic platformers. That means very easy-going, but also repetitive.

This game comes with a built-in editor in which you can make your own levels and, of course, play them afterwards. That is a very helpful feature that will satisfy all those creative gamers out there. You can also download user-made maps from the producer's web site. What more could you wish for?

Everyone who has played Super Mario on the Gameboy will get a strong deja vu playing this game, and they'll like it, while others may just avoid it. The choice is yours, but I strongly advise you to try it out. As the producer states: "It's only a platform game with a few tricks up it's sleeve". So what's to lose anyway?